Gear cutting method and machine for cutting spiral bevel gears and contrate gear face clutches

摘要

In order to increase the working range of existing designs of gear cutting machines upon which gear teeth based upon an extended epicycloid are cut according to the continuous gear-cutting process, the workpiece and cutter spindles of a gear cutting machine are driven in identical directions of rotation by a reversing drive train. A reversible auxiliary drive is connected to an end of a primary drive train remote from a main drive for maintaining the primary drive train interconnecting the workpiece and cutter spindles under constant load, i.e. for suppressing backlash in the primary drive train. This permits the practical fabrication of gears (i.e. the practical cutting of gear teeth) based upon a hypocycloid instead of an epicycloid.